The NBA: The Guys Defying the Sophomore Slump

Adam
Morrison, Tyreke Evans, DJ Augustin, and Andrea Bargnani all have one thing in
common. They were victims of the curse most well-to-do rookies dread – the
sophomore slump.

With no
exception, every single one of those players followed up relatively successful
rookie efforts with subpar performances in their respective sophomore
campaigns.

Bargnani,
the Italian Dirk Nowitzki wannabe, dropped his production from 11.6ppg, 42.7
FG%, and 37.3 3pt% in ’06-’07 to 10.2ppg, 38.6 FG%, and 34.5 3pt% the following
season. Sure, those can be attributed to a decrease in playing time, but for
the top overall pick in 2006? Still not good enough.

Augustin,
for his part, has been relatively solid the past few seasons, save for his
horrific sophomore year, when his stats were sliced to just over half of his
production when he was a rookie. His scoring fell from about 12.0ppg to a
little over 6.0ppg, and his shooting, like Bargnani’s, dipped significantly. He
would go on to bounce back in the next two seasons, but those don’t disqualify
him from being part of the slumpers’ list.

Evans, the
celebrated 2010 ROY out of the Memphis Tigers program, also couldn’t escape the
slump. He fumbled his way in his second year, with his scoring, rebounding,
assists, and shooting all dipping. Needless to say, he didn’t exactly break out
in his sophomore effort.

Perhaps the
worst (or best, depending on your perspective) example of a sophomore slump,
however, is Adam Morrison. The 2006 3rd overall pick form Gonzaga
was named All-Rookie Second Team in 2007, norming respectable stats – 11.8ppg
on 33.7% 3-point shooting. The following seasons, however, saw him go from
“just okay” to WTF. He normed 4.5ppg in his second tour of duty with the
Bobcats before getting shipped to the Lakers, where he won two NBA titles
despite averaging less than 2.5 ppg. WORST CHAMPIONSHIP CHUMP EVER.

Thankfully,
this year’s batch of sophomores has a handful of kids not exactly raring to be
put in the same set as the aforementioned quartet. A look at the stats of some
of last season’s big name freshies reminds us that not all sophs have to slump
after all.

One of the more
surprising sophomores right now is Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic. The 7-foot Swiss
is playing nearly twice as many minutes as last season, and his production has
risen at about the same rate, too. From 5.5ppg, 4.8rpg, and 0.7bpg last year,
Vucevic is now registering 9.8ppg, 8.3rpg, and 1.1bpg. That’s a borderline
double-double every game! A Fantasy NBA steal if I ever saw one!

Another
great catch is Houston’s Chandler Parsons. Parsons has greatly benefitted from
the exodus of Luis Scola and Chase Budinger, as he is now one of the primary
offensive options at the 3 or 4 spot. He’s quick enough to be a problem for
most PFs, but also big enough to be a low post threat against most SFs. His
numbers have all jumped significantly, but most noticeable is the +6 in his
scoring, +3.2 in rebounding, +8% in his 3-point shooting, and +19% in FT
accuracy! A Most Improved Player consideration might be in the offing for the
ex-Florida Gator.

Of course,
one guy many expected to improve his numbers is Denver’s man-beast, Kenneth
Faried. Faried impressed last season with his tenacity and athleticism, both of
which have helped him up his game this year. He is playing about 7 more minutes
per outing and putting up nearly 13 points and 12 boards. His shooting from the
floor and the line have dipped, but he’s still one of the most reliable
workhorses out there.

Another guy
who has really blossomed is Kemba Walker of the Bobcats. The former UConn Husky
didn’t receive a lot of hype last season because his size (6’1) was deemed
detrimental to his natural off-guard position, but he has been able to make it
work so far. His outside shooting dipped a bit, but his overall FG% has
improved (+5%) along with his scoring (+6) and playmaking (+1.6). Most
impressive, though, is the progress in his defense. Walker is averaging 2.3
steals per game, which is good for top three overall behind Brandon Jennings
and Chris Paul.

Lastly, the
2012 ROY, Kyrie Irving, can also be excluded from the sophomore slump set. He’s
currently out of commission due to a fractured finger, but nearly all his first
10 games this season were amazing. Practically every aspect of his game has
improved, and, this early, he might be a frontrunner for an East All-Star spot
alongside Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade or Deron Williams. By the way, of those
three, only Rondo has, so far, put up better numbers than Irving.

So there you
have it, some of the current sophomores defying the dreaded slump and reaching
new heights. Unlike Morrison, none of these sophs have titles to boast, but,
also unlike Morrison, they’re probably going to stay in the Association for
much more than four uneventful seasons.

Kyrie Irving should continue his strong playwhen he returns from injury.(image by Mark Duncan/AP)

Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):

New York 121, Detroit 100

Carmelo
Anthony poured in a game-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting as the New York
Knicks thumped the Detroit Pistons, 121-100, on Sunday at Madison Square
Garden. Steve Novak went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points,
while J.R. Smith contributed 15 points and 10 boards for the Knicks, who were
coming off a loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday in which they allowed a
season-high 131 points. Rasheed Wallace netted 15 points and Raymond Felton
donated 14 with 10 assists in the victory. Brandon Knight scored a team-high 21
points to go with five assists, Charlie Villanueva netted 17 points and Kyle
Singler added 16 points for Detroit, which has lost two of its last three
games. Greg Monroe donated 12 points and seven assists in the setback.

San Antonio 111, Toronto 106
(2-OT)

Tony Parker
netted 11 of his 32 points over two overtimes in the San Antonio Spurs' 111-106
win over the Toronto Raptors. Tim Duncan tallied 26 points, six assists and
five rebounds for the Spurs, who have won three straight games. Manu Ginobili
added 15 points, seven boards and five helpers in the win. DeMar DeRozan had 29
points for Toronto, which has dropped four consecutive contests.

Brooklyn 98, Portland 85

Joe Johnson
netted 21 points, while Deron Williams tallied 15 points and 12 assists in the
Brooklyn Nets' 98-85 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Brook Lopez added 15
points and eight rebounds, and Kris Humphries chipped in 14 points and 10
boards for Brooklyn, which has won two straight on the heels of a two-game
skid. Wesley Matthews recorded 20 points and J.J. Hickson had 19 points and 10
rebounds for the Blazers, who opened a lengthy seven-game road trip.

Philadelphia 104, Phoenix
101

Jrue Holiday
poured in a career-high 33 points and handed out 13 assists on Sunday night, as
the Philadelphia 76ers outlasted the Phoenix Suns, 104-101, at Wells Fargo
Center. Evan Turner chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds and Lavoy Allen added
11 points and six boards for the Sixers, who had lost two straight. Michael
Beasley led the Suns with 21 points, but missed a potential game-tying layup
with under five seconds remaining. Marcin Gortat finished with 18 points and
seven rebounds in the setback, snapping Phoenix's two-game win streak.

Boston 116, Orlando 110 (OT)

Rajon Rondo
turned in another solid performance, falling one rebound shy of a triple-double
in the Boston Celtics' 116-110 victory over the Orlando Magic in overtime.
Rondo notched 15 points and 16 assists, tying John Stockton for the second-most
games with at least 10 assists. It was 37th straight game Rondo has
accomplished the feat. Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass each recorded
double-doubles as well. Garnett tallied 24 points and 10 boards, while Bass put
forth an 13-point, 12-rebound effort in the Celtics' sixth straight victory
over the Magic. The Magic made a strong second half push, but faltered down the
stretch in overtime. Jameer Nelson was a key contributor to Orlando's rally,
scoring 17 of his 20 points in the second half. J.J. Reddick poured in 21
points off the bench while Arron Affalo and Glen Davis put in 15 apiece for the
Magic, who had won consecutive games coming in.

Denver 102, New Orleans 84

Andre
Iguodala scored a game-high 23 points on Sunday night, as the Denver Nuggets
downed the New Orleans Hornets, 102-84, at Pepsi Center. Ty Lawson followed
with 17 points and six assists, and Kenneth Faried registered a double-double
with 14 points and 12 rebounds to help the Nuggets earn their fourth straight
victory. Brian Roberts paced the Hornets with 17 points off the bench and Ryan
Anderson chipped in 16 points for New Orleans, which has lost seven in a row.

Ty Lawson led Denver to its fourth win in a row.(image by David Zalubowski/AP)